Asian Athletes Make the Big Time / Chinatown kids tote their hoop dreams

Ryan Kim, Chronicle Staff Writer

Published
4:00 am PDT, Sunday, April 15, 2001

Between shooting hoops at a Chinatown basketball court, 10-year-old Calvin Lei and his friends debated the NBA's newest basketball star.

"My dad said he made six points in eight minutes," said Lei, triumphantly, to his friends.

While hero worship of sports players has long been the pastime of school kids, Lei's words belie a special admiration. For the first time, he is talking about one of his own.

The recent signing of 7-foot-1 Zhizhi Wang of China by the Dallas Mavericks -- who will play the Golden State Warriors tomorrow -- represents the first injection of fully Asian talent into the NBA. It has energized many Asian Americans, who have avidly played the sport for years but have not seen an Asian player ascend to the elite ranks -- until now.

"Suddenly there's a Chinese guy in the NBA; it kind of freaked me out," said Lei, who is Chinese American and lives in San Francisco's Richmond District. "I still haven't seen him on television but he's starting to be my favorite player."

Wang's debut April 5 came just days after the first major league baseball appearance of Ichiro Suzuki, one of two new Japanese players. Since 1995 with the signing of Hideo Nomo, an increasing number of Asians have played in the major leagues as pitchers. However, Suzuki, of the Seattle Mariners, and New York Mets outfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo represent the first Asian position players in baseball.

The appearance of more Asian players in American professional sports leagues is being hailed from high school locker rooms to area baseball diamonds, and is being trumpeted by local ethnic media outlets. It represents a proud moment for Asian Americans, who find themselves by extension more included in the American cultural tapestry.

"People appreciate that there is finally a Chinese player here," said Larry Yee, boys basketball coach of George Washington High School in San Francisco. "You live in America and you watch the game at a high level, and now you can watch an Asian and feel closer to the game knowing that a Chinese guy can make it in the NBA."

The impact is most felt, perhaps, among Asian American youths. Steven Huang,

16, a junior basketball player at predominantly Asian Lowell High School in San Francisco, said Wang has been the talk of his school. He said he never thought he'd see an Asian in the NBA, but he's now encouraged by Wang's presence.

"It kind of shows you that could be me or my son," said Huang. "It shows that everything is possible."

Suzuki's debut has been the most impressive of the new arrivals. He's hitting above .350 and has made some spectacular defensive plays, including a throw Wednesday night that put out the Oakland A'sTerrence Long.

That night, hundreds of Japanese fans converged on the Oakland Coliseum, crowding around the Mariners' dugout for glimpses of the star. Suzuki's hit in the eighth inning ignited his fans, giving his many female admirers something to swoon over.

"It was thrilling. He's met our expectations," said Masako Takemura, 40, a human resources coordinator from Palo Alto who brought a sign saying "Ichiro." "He's successful not only in Japan but over here."

More than just being a token hire, say some, Suzuki's on-field heroics have gone a long way toward discarding myths about Asian baseball talent.

"They always say Asians are not big enough to be in the major leagues, but this turns that statement around," said Matt Higa, 20, a San Francisco State University sophomore and avid baseball player. "It just shows that anyone can make it in the major leagues."

Jere Takahashi, an ethnic studies lecturer at UC-Berkeley, said the recent increase of Asians in sports obscures the fact that Asians have, for many years, been participants at the recreational, high school and college level. He said players like Wang will likely promote a fuller image of Asian Americans.

"The current imagery is about someone who deals with technical things, but this may also help reshape the image of what it is to be Asian American," said Takahashi.

Both Suzuki and Wang are humble in respect to their status among Asian American fans. They say they would like to prove they are worthy of the attention.

The fans "are very excited I finally came to the NBA," said Wang. "If I can play better and improve myself, they'll feel more excited."

Unfortunately, the arrivals of Suzuki and Wang have not been without some racial tension. A radio host in Sacramento recently referred to Wang as "Chinaman," while Oakland fans booed and threw objects at Suzuki in what some in attendance felt was racially motivated.

Suzuki, however, has dismissed the antics as the work of zealous fans, something he also saw in Japan.

"Anytime you go to a visiting city, things fall out of the sky," he said.

Few things go unnoticed when it comes to these latest Asian athletes. Suzuki has a traveling contingent of more than 30 media members following him at all times while Wang has a handful of trailing media from China, where visas are harder to obtain.

While foreign-born Asian athletes continue to flourish in the United States,

many Asian Americans are also eager to see more homegrown talent break into the professional sports leagues. And with the success of players like Wang and Suzuki, they say it might not be far away.